Oak Ridge Today

Here’s a recap of the season for the ORHS Swim Team

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The Oak Ridge High School Wildcat state team qualifiers and coaches David Vander Sluis, far left, and Alicia Williamson, back right. (Photo courtesy Erik Groscost)

Pictured above are the Oak Ridge High School Wildcat state team qualifiers and coaches David Vander Sluis, far left, and Alicia Williamson, back right. (Photo courtesy Erik Groscost)

 

By Erik Groscost

The Oak Ridge High School Wildcat Swim Team dual meet record for the 2016-2017 swim season was 4 wins, 0 losses. We were undefeated for the second year in a row! The wins were over Farragut, Berean Christian, Knoxville Catholic, and Clinton/Anderson County high schools.

Our meet against Maryville was canceled due to the heater breaking at the Oak Ridge Civic Center pool in late December. Three weeks of key training were disrupted for both year round and high school swimmers. We found ways around that nuisance and our swimmers still had very good championship meet performances.

Our two big end-of-season championship meets: [Read more…]

Atomic City swimmers have impressive performances at Lois Weir Invitational

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Lois Weir 2014

Pictured from left to right are trophy winners Mason Fischer (10, first place), Madeline Linkous (10, second place), Daniel Arnold (10, first place), Thias Brown (10, second place), and Abigail King (10, third place).

 

After a dreary week, the sun shined on the Atomic City Aquatic Club at its annual Lois Weir Invitational in Oak Ridge.

“This was the largest meet we have hosted in quite a few years, and with the help of the volunteer efforts of our parents we pulled it off without a hitch,” said Coach Mike Bowman. “It was a fantastic meet on a nice weekend.”

The swimmers were impressive as well. In the 8-and-under age group,  Steven Zhukov (8), second overall, won three events, placed second in five more, and took third twice. Elijah Linkous (7) had nine top 6 finishes and brought home a third-place trophy. Trinity Byars (7) and Monica White (7) had outstanding debut home meets for the girls.

Daniel Arnold (10) took home the 10-and-under boys all-around trophy with 10 victories and two other top 3 finishes. Thias Brown (10) challenged Arnold with four second-place finishes and five other top 5 placements en route to second. Egan Rawn (10) finished in the top 7 eight times, and Loy Creed (10) and Dylan Arnold (10) also scored points for the team. [Read more…]

ORCA wraps up summer swim season in style

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Oak Ridge City Aquatic Swim Team

ORCA’s 11-12 Boy’s Medley Relay Team, which placed fifth overall with a time of 2:15.53 at the annual GKAISA City Meet Knoxville 2014. Pictured left to right are Harrison Whitson, Jake Cheney, Vidar Hondorf, and Ethan Chou. (Submitted photo)

By Erik Groscost

The Oak Ridge City Aquatic summer league swim team finished its 2014 campaign on July 27 with a two-win, two-loss dual meet record and many smiling faces at the conclusion of City Meet. Wins over Beaver Brook Country Club and University Swim Club balanced losses to a very strong Northside YMCA team and Cherokee Country Club over the course of the Greater Knoxville Area Intersquad Swim Association (GKAISA) summer league season, which runs annually from early June through the end of July.

Two thousand and three hundred swimmers representing 33 summer league teams converged on the Allan Jones Aquatic Center on campus at the University of Tennessee from July 25-27. By the end of Sunday’s Finals, close to 10,000 races had been entered into the books. It is one of the largest swim meets held annually in the United States.

Eighteen ORCA swimmers—along with coaches Lars Hondorf, Betsy Hondorf, Luke Johnson, and Kathleen O’Neal—competed in Sunday’s finals going stroke for stroke with some of the finest young athletes in the Knoxville area. Top ORCA point scorers included: [Read more…]